Russians put Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant unit 4 into hot shutdown mode – IAEA

The Russian occupying administration at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has completed the transition of power unit 5 to cold shutdown and switched unit 4 to hot shutdown.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Details: The company says the reactor status change was made to carry out maintenance work at power unit 5, which is only possible in cold shutdown mode.

"Unit 5 was transitioned into cold shutdown yesterday morning, three days after unit 4 shifted to hot shutdown, its steam now being used to treat wastewater at the ZNPP. The other units remain in cold shutdown," IAEA reported.

In addition, the IAEA team at the plant visited unit 5 on 28 July to inspect the reactor vessel, spent fuel pool and the steam generator. They noted the normal condition of all equipment.

However, when they inspected the ZNPP perimeter, the team confirmed that the mines they saw on 23 July were still in place. The IAEA keeps requesting access to the roofs of the ZNPP reactors and their turbine halls.

The agency adds that its representatives have heard isolated detonations over the past few days, with some at a distance from the plant and some appearing closer.

The IAEA team also conducted a walkdown of the cooling pond on 27 July, visiting the pilot well. The team reported that water quality and flow rate testing is currently underway to determine whether the site meets the requirements for a well.

"The IAEA team reported that the available water supply remains relatively stable, with the water level in the site’s large cooling pond decreasing by around 1 centimetre per day due to usage and evaporation. Submersible pumps have been periodically used to pump water from the Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP) inlet channel to the ZTPP discharge channel."

Background:

• The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP is preparing to switch unit 4 from cold to hot shutdown.
• Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency discovered directional anti-personnel landmines on the periphery of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant site.
• The IAEA still does not have access to the roofs of ZNPP units 3 and 4 to verify the absence of mines.
• Energoatom, Ukraine's national nuclear energy company, said the situation remained stable and under control despite the Russian occupiers' blowing up of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant.

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